# Funeral Pyre

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This article is about the single. For the structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite, see [pyre](/source/Pyre).

**"Funeral Pyre"** is [The Jam](/source/The_Jam)'s thirteenth single released on 29 May 1981. Backed by the [B-side](/source/B-side) "[Disguises](/source/Disguises_(The_Who_song))", a cover of a [Who](/source/The_Who) track, it reached No. 4 in the [UK singles chart](/source/UK_singles_chart).[1][2]

"Funeral Pyre" is the only single co-written by the band, and only the second song which has writing credits for all three members, the other being "Music for the Last Couple" which featured on the *[Sound Affects](/source/Sound_Affects)* album.[3]

The song begins as a studio jam between drummer [Rick Buckler](/source/Rick_Buckler) and bassist [Bruce Foxton](/source/Bruce_Foxton), with [Paul Weller](/source/Paul_Weller_(singer))'s contribution coming later.

The song does not appear on any of the band's studio albums. In the US, it appeared on the five-track EP *The Jam* (Polydor PX-1-503), which peaked at No. 176 on the [*Billboard* 200](/source/Billboard_200) album chart.

## Music video

The video was shot at [Horsell Common](/source/Horsell_Common), near [Woking](/source/Woking).[4] A sandpit (which had earlier featured in [H. G. Wells](/source/H._G._Wells)' *[The War of the Worlds](/source/The_War_of_the_Worlds)*) was used for the location of the bonfire used to accompany the official music video.[4]

## References

1. ["The Jam Singles – Funeral Pyre"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120227143206/http://www.thejam.org.uk/jams13.html). *Thejam.org.uk*. Archived from [the original](http://www.thejam.org.uk/jams13.html) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-14.

1. Roberts, David (2006). *[British Hit Singles & Albums](/source/British_Hit_Singles_%26_Albums)*. 19th ed. London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 277. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

1. ["Outburst's Top Albums of 1980"](https://www.musicthisday.com/lists/albums/50-albums-from-1980-you-must-hear-before-you-die). *musicthisday.com*. Retrieved 30 April 2026.

1. *That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam*, ISBN 978-1-783-05794-8, p. 152

## External links

- [Information/lyrics for "Funeral Pyre"/"Disguises"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120227143206/http://www.thejam.org.uk/jams13.html)
- [Paul Weller – Official site](https://web.archive.org/web/20070810101859/http://www.paulweller.com/index.php)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Funeral Pyre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_Pyre) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_Pyre?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.